A Promise for Always
by Thebestbookiveread
Summary: Beckett crossed her legs in her chair. Things ended between her and Castle a while ago, she had said yes to his proposal, they moved to D.C., and everything was going great – until one day, Beckett cracked, telling him that she couldn't balance her busy job and relationship. Little did Beckett know Castle would not go down without a fight – and leaving her a parting gift.
1. Chapter 1

Beckett crossed her legs in her chair. Things ended between her and Castle a while ago, she had said yes to his proposal, they moved to D.C., and everything was going great – until one day, Beckett cracked, telling him that she couldn't balance her busy job and relationship.

Little did Beckett know Castle would not go down without a fight – and leaving her a parting gift.

Castle sighed, staring at the murder board for what seemed like hours. It was a hard case with no evidence, and no leads. But this case was much more different than any other cold case – this was Jim Beckett's case.

Castle's face fell in his hands. When he and Beckett broke up, almost a year ago, it was devastating. He stayed locked up in the loft for the first month, until Alexis and Martha helped him get back on his feet. But just because he's back on his feet doesn't mean he's happy.

He returned to the precinct about two weeks ago, when Jim Beckett was pronounced murdered. He convinced Gates to let him work with Ryan and Esposito for just this one case, to which she hesitantly agreed.

Coffee. Castle needed coffee. He walked to the break room, and took a few minutes to fill a cup with the delicious, steaming liquid. He let it run down his throat, burning as it went. He was lost in thought until the shrill ringing of his cell phone started.

It was an unfamiliar number – but knowing what unfamiliar numbers could lead to, he didn't hesitate to press the phone to his ear, press 'Talk', and clear his throat. "Hello?" he asked, his voice gruff from not talking.

There wasn't even a pause on the line as a professional voice spoke up, "Excuse me, is this Richard Rodgers?" the man on the line asked. Castle's eyes widened in both shock and interest – it's been a while since people have called him that.

"Actually, it's Castle now," he said, forgetting completely that this man had called him. Oh yeah, he thought. "Um, how may I help you?" he asked, striding back by Ryan and Esposito's desks in case he needed the call traced.

"My name is Doctor Jones, I am calling from Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., are you in relation to a lady named Katherine Beckett?" he asked. Castle's heart sank. His face must of shown it, too, because the boys looked at him in curiosity.

"What happened?" he asked, ignoring the question about Beckett. Hell, he didn't know what he and Beckett were anymore. They sure as Hell weren't friends, but she's not going to be written off as someone he used to know, she will always be a part of him.

"We're not quite sure yet, but we can tell whatever it is, it's very serious. You're listed as her next-of-kin, since – if I have this correct – both her parents have passed, correct?" he asked. Castle wasn't really picking up any of his words anymore.

"Um, yeah, her parents are passed," he said, looking at Ryan and Espo, "I'll be over there as soon as I can. Give it three hours, tops," he stated, then paused, "Does she even have that long?" he asked Jones, biting his lip.

"I don't know, Mr. Castle, t –" the Doctor was cut off as Castle snapped his phone shut, throwing it across the room. Eyes from all over were on him, the room breaking into 'what happened?' and sentiments of worry.

"I – I have to go to D.C.," he said, and without another word, sprinted for the streets. He hailed a cab, and felt embarrassed realizing he needed a phone to call up one of his connections to a private airplane, and used the cabbie's phone.

Castle entered the hospital in a rush, the emergency room, because he had no clue where Beckett would be, but this would be his first guess. The front desk lady gave him a weird look as he panted, "Katherine Beckett?"

The lady typed something into the computer, and spoke, "Yes, Katherine, we brought her in five hours ago, and she's in room 106," she saw the look of worry on his face, and continued, "Her baby is safe and in the nursery."

Castle stopped in his tracks, eyes widening. "Baby?" he asked and she nodded. "That's the wrong girl, Kate Beckett doesn't have a kid," he said, pulse quickening. How many months had they been broken up? He did the mental math and gasped. "Never mind," he said, sprinting to room 106.

Thankfully, Doctor Jones was outside of her door, holding up a clip board. "Are you Mister Castle?" he asked, to which Castle nodded, "I . . . really hate to tell you this, but it looks like Kate isn't going to make it another half hour."

Castle's heart stopped, his breathing stopped, everything stopped. "What . . . what happened?" he asked, trying to motion for the doctor to speak quickly, he needed to see Kate – just one more time – alive.

"She was working a case, apparently one not assigned to the Feds at all, for her dad, Jim Beckett," he read, Castle's eyes filled with more tears, "She was pushed down a staircase, forcing her into labor, and she was bleeding a lot – she came here, had the baby, and we can't stop the internal bleeding."

Castle opened the door then, walking into her room, too see not Kate – but a very, very pale woman laying in the bed. She batted her weak eyelids, and did a gesture that looked like stretching. "Kate?" he asked.

"Castle?" she asked, starting to sob. Castle took a seat by her, grabbing her hand, "Castle, there's so much I need to say. First, I love you, Castle. I know I don't have much time, and I know you don't believe in death-bed confessions, but I have always loved you, and I always will."

Castle's tears started to fall free, as did hers, and she continued, "I'm sorry I worked on my dad's case without you – I'm also sorry I chose my job over you," she sobbed, "I'm mainly sorry for keeping our kid a secret from you, Castle."

He grabbed her hand, "Kate, I love you, too, so much. You can't leave me," he sniffled, "It's okay – I forgive you for all of it. I heard that the kid is a girl," he paused, "I want to name her Katherine Johanna Beckett-Castle, is that okay?"

She gave a small grin and a cough, "That's a," she paused, "bit of a mouthful there, Castle, don't you think?" she asked, teasing him. All jokes aside, "Thank-you," she murmured, "For everything. The name. For loving me."

"I do, Kate. I love you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you," he cried.

"You'll take care of our daughter, you hear me Castle?" she asked, and he nodded glumly, "Castle," she repeated, "Swear to me, promise me, that you will be there for our daughter," she said.

"Always," he murmured. "I love you," he whispered.

"Love you, too, Castle," she muttered, before her eyelids closed for the last time.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay. For those of you whom were satisfied with the sad, deppressing ending, leave now. Some people are messaging me asking for a happy ending, which I love. This was just a sad prompt by Anotherhumanbeing – who is great, by the way. Check out her work. Anyways, I don't like sad endings, so here is a longer story (I don't know how long, I am writing another book on another site non-Castle related), with ... a different take? I don't know. I believe in happy endings. So that's how this book will end up.**

**And since "She closed her eyes for the last time," is impossible to get out of, the alternate-alternate ending to the last chapter is in italics... so... well... it's a bit obvious how Kate ends up now... Stupid Anotherhumanbeing correcting my endings... so... here it is. I'm sorry for being awkward!**

"_I'm sorry," he murmured, "I love you," he whispered._

"_Love you, too, Castle," she muttered before the only sound you could hear in the room was Castle's rugged breathing, and a loud, blaring sound on the monitor, announcing Katherine Houghton Beckett is dead._

Castle stood before realizing he should notify a doctor, thankfully, several came in, along with a nurse who was escorting Castle out the door. Castle got the will to move, and sat on a chair outside, starting to cry again.

"Excuse me, Mister Castle?" the nurse whom pushed him out of Beckett's room asked. He lifted his head, his sorrow-filled eyes meeting her shy ones as she spoke, "I'm not sure how Katherine is doing, but . . . she informed me the child she had is yours. The baby is quite healthy, not even a scratch, and if you'd like you can come meet her," she said.

Castle's breath quickened. In the anxiety of watching the life drain from Kate, he had forgotten all about the little girl that was _his. _He has another daughter now. He has to be strong for Katherine. He got up and took a deep breath, "Can you take me to her?"

"Of course I can, Mister Castle," she grinned, leading Castle to a whole different floor. This one was much more childish, rubber ducks, building blocks, and teddy bears were painted on the walls, and this had soothing colors of blue and pink, instead of the sickening white.

They walked around several babies before they reached one, and after checking the tag the nurse grinned, "Mister Castle, this is your baby. She doesn't have a name yet and is registered as Baby Girl Castle – per Miss Beckett's request, but if you have a name – "

"Katherine Johanna Beckett-Castle," he interrupted her. Beckett was right, it is a mouthful. It didn't roll off his tongue that easy but it's not like people went by their full name these days. The nurse nodded, and Castle asked, "May I hold her?"

"Of course you can. She has a clean bill of health – you can even take her home soon, we need to run more tests after she's twelve hours old – so in about eight hours, and after she's four days old. She can either stay here, or you have to be very careful with her, but I don't reccomend taking her to New York yet."

"Mhm," he hummed, remembering from Alexis's birth, "Um, I don't have safe conditions for her here. I'm thinking if it's okay to just stay here during visiting hours and stay in the nearest hotel for non-visiting hours."

"Yes, that's quiet alright – many people do that," she said. "You need to wash your hands, but then you're allowed to hold her," she pointed to the sink where he washed his hands, "And you can hold her now."

Castle panicked – eyes widening at the realization – he has another daughter. She's right here, right in front of him. He gently reached in, taking the pink bundle carefully into his arms. "Make sure you support her head," the nurse said, and he adjusted his arms.

Katherine's two eyes blinked up at him – they were hazel like Kate's, and she had a small tuft of brown hair, the color of his own. He put his finger near her hand, and she grasped it, and for the first time since Kate passed, he smiled.

"Hello Katherine," he cooed, "I'm your daddy. Mommy can't be here but I know she really wants to. She loves you," he whispered, managing to hold his smile, "I love you, too, already," his grin widened, "You have her name, because you're just as strong as she was."

"Mister Castle . . . visiting hours were over a while ago, but we thought it was best you see your child. The doctor has some things to tell you, but we'd appreciate it if you'd work on leaving," she stumbled on her words, as if scared to make him angry.

"Oh yeah, that's fine," he told her, smile still on his face, he looked back at Katherine and gave her a small smile. "Daddy has to go now, but I'll be back tomorrow, I promise," he murmured, then kissed her head before putting her back in her makeshift crib.

The nurse led him back up to the Emergency Room, and he took a shuddering breath. The nurse gave him a sympathetic look as they reached _her _room. The room she . . . _died _in. The doctor came out, removing his latex gloves, and looked Castle in the eyes.

"I have some news about Katherine Beckett," he informed him. Castle braced himself for the words he wasn't ready to hear – apologies he didn't want to have to listen to, things he couldn't bring himself to say aloud.

"Look, I'm not sure if I want to hear this," he said, collapsing into the nearest chair. "You know, our daughter is the last Beckett alive – she's the only one left," he muttered, more to himself, and looked at the doctor with pleading eyes.

"Actually, I think you want to hear this. Katherine Beckett, Senior, is still alive," he said,and Castle flipped out, prepared to bombard him with questions. "She's in very bad shape though. We injected enough vitamin K and she is no longer bleeding from the inside, not losing any blood. She is, however, under heavy sedation and might slip into a coma," he informed Castle.

Castle bit his lip, scared out of his mind. He might not have lost Kate, just so he could lose her again. "She can still pass though," Castle stated, matter-of-factly. "What if she dies and I'm not here," he murmurs.

"Look, we can't confirm anything – don't get your hopes up," the doctor said, "However," Castle perked up at this word, waiting for more, "Her chances look good. Your Kate might just survive this one," he said, patting Castle's shoulder. "Any questions?"

Castle shook his head and was left alone, only with a 'Please evacuate the property as soon as possible'. Castle left the hospital with a huge grin on his face. _His _Kate, might just make it, after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: . . . Well. There was some interesting stuff said down there. Will I kill Kate, won't I? I did just get a request from – of course – Anotherhumanbeing – saying to kill someone. *Evil laughter* I HAVE AN IDEA! *Evil laughter subsides* . . . I'm not sorry for being awkward. Now, I think it's time for **_**that **_**disclaimer. I've never had to do a disclaimer, but everytime I read someone else's I laugh hardcore-mode.**

**So.**

**Here goes nothing.**

**Disclaimer: It's not mine.**

_**(*Stream of swear words* That wasn't funny at all! No matter. Must continue writing.)**_

Castle sat up in his hotel room, legs swinging off the bed. He didn't know who to call, or what to say. He decided on Martha, she always knew what to say in situations like this. He reached for his cell, but remembered he left it in New York, and went to the landline instead.

"This is Martha Rodgers," her voice sounded like she had been crying not too long ago. He felt relieved to hear her voice, felt like this was all officially real, and didn't know where to start. "Hello, is somebody there? Who is this?"

"Hi mother," Castle said, she already started talking at this point, but he interrupted her, "Mother, I have important things to tell you," he said. She stopped talking, and he suddenly felt slightly guilty for interrupting her – something she taught him at a young age not to do to anyone, especially her.

"What is it, Richard? Are you okay? How is Katherine doing?" she asked, all in one sentence. Castle felt a small smile creep on his face at his mother's worry, and she continued, "I'm with Alexis down at the precinct – we've been worried sick!"

"Sorry, Mother," he said, and continued, "I am – physically – fine. Mentally, I'm on a wild rollercoaster. First thing I get here, Kate's awake," he smiles sadly at the memory, the pain and happiness mixed on her face as she saw him.

"And then?" Martha pressed, gently, not forcefully.

"Then she told me . . . something, and she flat-lined," he said, not willing to say the d-i-e-d word. "The doctors took me out, and then I . . ." he wasn't sure if he was ready to tell her. "Then I met my new daughter. Mother, you're a grandmother . . . again."

"What? Richard, this is a lot of information," she heaved, "Katherine is gone?" he could tell a new line of tears had begun to form, and he re-thought what he just said, then remembered he didn't finish.

"Wait, no mother, she's in really bad shape right now, but she's alive. She's not comatose but it's possible she will reach that stage tomorrow, we don't know yet. In the meantime, my daughter really would like to meet her family and her extended family from the precinct."

Martha started crying, softly now. "Richard, that's so great. Again, I'm here right now, and I'll ask them if they'd like to come with me tomorrow – of course they would," she changed her mind, but he could hear her telling them everything he just said. "Alexis wants to speak with you," she stated.

"Put her on," Castle encouraged. He wanted to talk to her, be able to answer any questions she might have or anything else.

"Dad . . . how are you holding up? Gram said Beckett isn't doing well, are you okay? She said that you have a new baby, dad, is that true?" she asked, and when he didn't answer immediately, she quickly jumped, "Oh my God! Dad is the baby okay?"

He chuckled, "Yes, she has a clean bill of health. Her name is Katherine Johanna Beckett-Castle, Kate said it was a mouthful but I didn't care. I like it, she likes it, we're all good," he paused, "I want you guys to come up and visit tomorrow, is that alright?"

"Of course, dad! I want to meet my sister," she said, wide smile on her face, "When are visiting hours tomorrow? I'll arrive two hours earlier so we can go out for coffee or something," she said.

"Visiting hours start at noon, and you don't have to be here at ten – that requires leaving semi-early in the morning. Then again, you're not me, so maybe you're able to wake up that early," he grinned, "I really want to see you, I love you Pumpkin."

"I love you, too, dad," she said. "Who all is supposed to come with us?" she asked.

"Well, Patterson owes me a favor, so you're going to take his plane – tell Lanie, Javi, and Kevin they might want to come and talk to Beckett in case she falls comatose or maybe she might wake up – I don't know, but tell them they're invited."

A new voice spoke on the phone, one that was immediately recognized as Detective Esposito's began to speak, "We will be there, for certain, Castle," he said, and Castle noted that in his head, "Congratulations, man."

"Thanks Esposito," he said, and jumped at a knock on the door, "Excuse me, someone is here, I'm going to need to call you back," he said, and with a quick goodbye, he hung up. He walked to the door and opened it, not sure what to expect.

Leaning in the door frame was a guy with dark brown hair – almost black in nearly any lighting – and blue eyes. He looked Castle over before asking, "Are you Richard Castle?" Castle nodded, "I'm Detective West from the Washington D.C. police. I'm bearing information for Katherine Beckett, and understood she is currently not avaliable, and they told me to talk to you."

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Is this about the person who shoved her down the stairs?"

"Yes," he said, stepping in as Castle motioned for him to do so, Castle shut the door. "The hospital had cameras, and so we got the guy. He was also the man who killed Jim Beckett, it appears as though Katherine was hot on his case, so he shoved her down the stairs. We have him in custody now, and are currently alerting the NYPD."

Castle picked up all of the information carefully, "So it's really over?" he asked, and the detective nodded. Castle grinned, "That's wonderful. Thanks so much, now if you'd be so kind, I'd really like to sleep."

The detective left Castle, whom fell on the bed, curling up with the blankets.

Things were going just right in his world right now.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry . . . I planned to update more, but . . . I'm just so fed up. Okay? I have no life. Like literally no life. Ever since I saw Castle, I have dedicated my life to it, and I don't even know what the outside looks like anymore. Plus, since the hiatus, all I've been doing is curling in a ball, spamming people's Instagram's with likes, crying, at guess what? Watching Castle. So . . . now that I've discussed my problems of having no life . . . **

**Here is the next chapter. And my new and swagged out disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Castle, Maddie would still be there, because she gave us the picture of Castle babies, Karpowski would have a billion scenes, because she did us all a favor by taking Beckett's Christmas shift, and Castle would not be acceptable for ABC because of all the hot sex scenes. So no, I don't own Castle.**

Early in the morning – much to early in the morning – there was a loud knock on Rick's door. "Go away!" he shouted into his pillow, but the knocking continued. He sighed, got out of bed, and after running a hand through his hair, he opened the door.

"Hey Dad," Alexis started, coming inside to give Castle a bear-hug. He wrapped his arms around her as yesterday's events replayed in his head. Lanie, Esposito, Ryan, and Martha were all behind her and Castle decided he was indecent.

"Um, come on in, and give me a minute to shower and get dressed. You can watch whatever you want on the television," he said, pointing to several couches and the flat screen that rested near his bed. He gathered some clothes and got ready for the day.

Castle looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes were a little dark from being sleep-deprived, but other than that he thought he was presentable. "Sorry about earlier, guys, I think we should all go get some breakfast," he greeted the room.

"That sounds nice," Lanie said, and everyone else murmured in agreement. Everyone got up and headed outside, and when it became apparent they got to the hotel in a taxi, he went to the next-door car rental, grabbing an eight-seater.

"Where do you guys want to go?" he asked as everyone settled in. Martha took shotgun, Alexis sat in the back, and Lanie, Javi, and Kevin sat in the middle. No one really knew the area, and honestly, neither did he, so they ended up picking a nice diner by the hospital.

There wasn't a whole lot of talking – everyone was still anxious to see Kate and Katherine. Kate, Junior? KJ? No, not KJ. He couldn't decide on anything so he stuck with Kat. Kat was simple and sweet, and also a name that had some fierceness to it.

"So, um, who should I talk about first? Kate or Kat?" he asked, the names bouncing off each other's similarity. Nobody talked, just sharing looks of silent questions and even more quiet answers, when Ryan spoke up.

"I could use some good news," he stated, getting a small laugh at of everyone, "Tell us about Kat," he suggested. Good. No one was questioning the nickname Kat, which meant it works – for now, anyways. Castle thought back on everything.

"Well, she has brown hair, and hazel eyes – you should see them, they look so much like Kate's," he smiled proudly, "And they say she has a ten out of ten on her bill of health, so it looks like she's going to be just fine."

"That's wonderful Castle," Esposito said, everyone agreed. It was silent as they ate their breakfast when Javi finally worked up enough nerve to talk again. "I didn't get much details over the phone – how's Beckett? What happened?"

Castle froze, but quickly recovered – making sure to be careful not to share too many details while Alexis is around. "She's doing better she was when I got there. She – last time I checked – was just heavily sedated, sleeping. But they say," he paused to take a breath, "They say she might become comatose."

Everyone's breathing became more quiet, the noises stilling, and nobody was really hungry anymore. Alexis looked at her wrist watch and smiled, "Dad, it's ten now, can we please go see my sister?" she asked, excitement lighting up her face.

Castle grinned like a fool. He was already so in love with his new baby girl, just as much as he loves Alexis. "Sure," he smiled, "Let me just pay the tab first," he said, leaving a large tip along with completing a survey they had.

The drive to the hospital wasn't quite as silent, Martha turned on some music from the eighties – rock and roll. It didn't quite fit the mood of the scene, but it got Castle less nervous and he was slowly relaxing.

Since there were so many people, they only wanted two or three at a time. Castle went with Martha and Alexis first, and after holding his daughter for what could have been hours – he decided to go and see Kate – if that's even okay.

He passed off Kat carefully to Alexis, who had quickly became obsessed over the new family member – already talking about all the clothes and toys she and Martha had to go out and buy. Espo, Ryan, and Lanie all got their turns – but Castle needed to see Beckett, now.

He was in the halls of the floor Kate was on, and after a nurse confirmed he could go in, he found a doctor with Kate. He held a small flashlight, testing her eyes, and looking at heart monitor rates, and some other things.

But Castle couldn't care less. He didn't know what to say or do when he found two beautiful eyes looking up at him, love painted all over her pale face. "Jeez, Castle, what took you so long to get here?" she teased, in a low, feathery voice.

"She's awake?" he asked the doctor, not believeing in his eyes, thinking he might have gone crazy. The doctor nodded gently, too busy reading files to pay enough attention. Castle's eyes flicked back to Kate's and unshed tears filled both of their eyes.

"Hey," she whispered, patting the chair by her, "Are you going to give me a kiss or do we have to wait for him to leave?" she asked, nodding in the direction of the doctor. Castle flushed, and went over to kiss her cheek, then sat by her, taking her hand.

"How does she look, doc?" he asked, not trusting Kate, knowing she'd say something along the lines of, '_I'm fine, Castle.' _The doctor's eyes flickered between the two, and he hesitated, before finally finishing his inner struggle.

"Mister Castle, can you please step out in the halls to talk with me?" he asked. Castle was nervous, but carefully let Kate's hand go, murmuring words of love into her hair before planting a delicate kiss on her forehead.

"She doesn't have amnesia, does she?" he asked as soon as they got out. The doctor shook his head, and as he went to speak, Castle continued. "Please tell me she's going to be alright. She can't leave me again," he pleaded.

"I can't say that, Mister Castle. What I can say, is she's doing fine – mentally, that is. She knows the year, knows what happened, and was even able to pick the arrested suspect out of a lineup of pictures. She remember's your daughter's name and her almost-last words. We also got the bleeding to stop."

"But," Castle pressed, knowing there had to be more.

"But nothing is set in stone until the first week. She can go comatose, or even die, any second now," the doctor warned him. Castle took a deep, shuddering breath as he realized what he must do.

"Is that all?" he asked, to which the doctor nodded. "Then if you don't mind, I'm going to spend every second with the love of my life, starting now."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: About that last author's note . . . I'm sorry. I hate school but summer break makes me feel like I have no life. My dad just passed away in April, my mom is handicapped, I've never met my half-brother or niece&nephew (who are twins. I find that fracking adorable.) My sister moved out when I was nine and my brother tries to beat me (or does beat me) everyday. My best friend of (11 years on July 16th) and I haven't talked since summer started – and we're next door neighbors. My two other friends moved two and three years ago, my other two friends are on vacation and I'm stuck here, with no life.**

**Until August. August 1st I will be in Vegas, seeing One Direction on the 2nd. August 14th is my birthday and all throughout August a lot of Castle-y stuff happens, like promos and stuff. (So I've been told – I'm new to the Castle fandom.) And September 30th my life will officially start again, and I might just feel human.**

**Anyways . . .**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Castle, Stana Katic would have been declared missing by now, because if I met someone as perfect as her, I'd kidnap her. (Not really. But – point being. I don't own Castle.)**

Castle practically ran into Kate's room, wanting to spend every second with her. He panicked when her eyes were squeezed shut, but as she gently opened them, a smile overcame both of their faces, and she beckoned him over.

"What's my status?" she asked, bracing herself for the worst. She knew what had happened – she knew that she flat-lined. Again. For the second time in about – what? Four years? – Kate Beckett flat-lined. She wouldn't be surprised if Castle told her she has minutes left.

"I didn't get any special instructions, just a warning that nothing is set in stone," he grinned, falling for her all over again everytime he looked into her eyes. It took him a minute to get up the courage to ask, "When are we going to talk about this?"

"Castle," she sighed, and he expected to be shut down, "We broke up because of bad communication. I think it's about time you ask me things that I answer as truthfully as I can," she bit her lip, as if she might regret what she just said.

So he simply asked one thing. "Why?" Let her take it as she wants. _Why did we break up? Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? Why were you working when you were nine months pregnant? _Kate sighed, knowing she had to answer all of them at one point.

"Castle, I love you. Leaving you for the job was the worst thing I have done. I didn't tell you about our girl because I was afraid you might think I was using her to get back with you," she rushed, "Oh," she paused, breathing, "I quit my job this morning."

"Why Beckett? You're such a good Federal Agent. Are you giving up the entire lifestyle or are you coming back to the precinct?" he asked, almost a pleading tone in his voice. Kate hesitated before answering.

"I quit because I'm done. My father and mother's killers have been caught. I'm done on my quest for justice, I'm ready to be a normal person – I want to be a mother to our child, and don't want her to have to worry if I will or won't make it home every night," she paused, "How is she, by the way? Where is she?"

Castle got a huge grin – he was literally crazy about her, "She's with everyone else in the hospital. Alexis, Martha – even Javi, Lanie, and Kev came to come see you two," he paused, "I call her Kat, because to me, you're Kate, to Mother, you're Katherine, and in Jim's memory you will always be Katie."

She felt tears work back up into her eyes – it was an emotional time. "Castle, can you please ask them if I can see her?" she asked with a tiny grin, before her heart monitor started going a bit too fast, "Oh my God! Castle is she okay?"

"Calm down, Kate," he said, grabbing her hand. Her heart rate went down and he let out a tiny laugh, "She's better than okay. She's perfect. I 'd love to ask the doctors –and I think everyone else would want to see you, too."

"Want is a bit of an understatement, dad," Alexis said from the doorway, holding little Kat. Behind her was everyone else, shocked to see that Kate was awake. "When the doctor said that he thinks that Kat should come see her mom, he told us she woke up, and that we should take Kat up to see you."

At this point, tears silently slid down Beckett's face as she saw her little bundle. Suddenly, she wasn't a dream – she was a reality. And when Alexis handed her off to Castle – who looked adorable with a baby – she felt in heaven as he gently put Kat into her arms.

It was a really sweet moment, everyone in the room was very emotional, especially Kate, who was talking to her daughter, introducing herself, apologizing. Castle kept holding her hand and a doctor came in.

"Big crowd," he commented, "Katherine, it's time for a little check up on you. If you could pass your daughter off for just a few minutes, that'd be great," he said. Kate handed her off to Castle, who gave her to Martha, who took her in the halls while Beckett got tested.

"Honey," Lanie said, walking up to the same side of Kate, she started to whisper her next words, "You scared the hell out of us. If you ever do that again," she thought of a threat, "Well, just, don't do that again," she murmured, stroking her hair back.

"I promise to try my hardest not to," she whispered back, "Sorry," she repeated for perhaps the millionth time since she's woken up. Castle squeezed her hand, trying to send the message, '_It's not your fault.' _

Lanie walked to the other side of the room to give the boys sometime with Kate. It was Javi who spoke up first, "Are you coming back to New York?" he asked, and it was evident on his face that he'd like that, for her to come _home._

"Yes, Javi, don't worry. I promise I'll be coming home to New York," she whispered, looking tired. Ryan and Esposito shared looks from Beckett to Castle, then to their hands, then to each other. Their silent question being screamed on their faces.

"I'm not mad at her, guys," Castle rolled his eyes, and Espo and Ryan relaxed, a smile breaking over both of their faces, Ryan muttering something about hating it when 'mom and dad fight'. Castle kissed Beckett's forehead and she relaxed into his shoulder, eyes blinking shut.

"We're going to go back to the hotel to let you get some sleep, Beckett," Javi said, and Lanie and Ryan nodded, taking off. The doctor gave her the thumbs up on her status and Alexis approached her for the first time.

"Alexis," she murmured, swallowing the lump in her throat, "I'm so sorry that –"

"I'm so glad you're okay," Alexis interrupted, surprising Kate with a hug, gentle as not to hurt her. "I'm so happy you're awake, I'm praying you'll be okay, you know that? All of my prayers are with you, Kate," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Alexis," Kate chuckled as she pulled her close. Alexis took a minute with Kate before pulling away, leaving Kate with a questioning look.

"I think you should say goodnight to your daughter before going to sleep," she grinned, going outside to fetch Martha and Kat.

Castle looked down at Kate, tears welled up in his eyes, "She knows you well," he murmured, and Alexis and Martha came in, Kat sleeping in Martha's arms. When Martha handed her off to Kate, she didn't even stir, she just slept.

Pretty soon, Kate was asleep as well, and Castle lifted up Kat, kissing all four of his lady's forheads. "It means the world to me, having all my favorite people in the same room," he said, and for the first time since the breakup, Rick and Kate looked like they were going to be alright.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Instead of putting up with my personal rants (Oh, by the way – I was gone all day for my little cousin's birthday party), I think you should get a break. I'll talk about you. Thanks for all of your reads, reviews, favoriting, and following my story. Really – you guys make me feel a little less socially-awkward.**

**A little.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Castle, there would be no such thing as 'a week without Castle'. That's INSANE. Every week, we'd have a new episode of Castle. *In this world* Stana: "Can I please take a short break? Just like – one week?" Me: "NO! I can't simply shoot Kate!" (But I have no problem with pushing her down the stairs nine months pregnant . . . I still don't own Castle).**

Castle gave a happy sigh as he walked out of the nursery room, Kat sleeping in her crib. The gang from the twelfth left for New York two days after they arrived, which was yesterday. Kate's recovery was going smoothly – and if things continued that way, she'd be able to leave in two to three weeks.

Castle opened the door to Kate's new room – no longer the ICU, but a small, private room with a nice view. He worried when he saw Kate wasn't on her bed – nothing was. The bed was stripped of the sheets, the cover – everything. "Kate?" he called.

There was no reply, and he freaked out. He opened the door to the bathroom and found Kate, tying the bedsheets, looking like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Castle," she hissed, "Get me out of here."

"Beckett . . . are you planning on sneaking out the window?" he asked, astonished. Beckett glanced at the window, which was sealed shut. They were on the second floor and it wasn't a bad drop – for people who haven't been hospitalized, anyways.

"No," she said, guiltily holding out the 'o'. Her eyes darted around the room, as if the walls could hear what she was saying, she whispered, "The windows are sealed. I was planning on sneaking off of the balcony," she stated, as if it was obvious.

"Kate, you can't just leave the hospital!" he protested, lifting her off the floor. She still seemed hooked on the idea, trying to walk around Castle to get to the door. Instead, Castle wrapped his arms around he – it was the first time in almost forever he had properly hugged her.

"Castle," she said, meeting his eyes with a serious glare, "I fell down the stairs, I wasn't shot . . . again," she added, "Our daughter is getting out of here today – I want out, too," she demanded, eyes glinting with firmness.

Castle lead Kate to the couch in her room, "No," he said simply. She started protesting, and as he listened, he untied the knots in the sheets, then made the bed. "No," he repeated, and pointed to the bed. "Lie down," he pleaded.

"Fine," she hissed, clambering onto the edge of the bed. "Get up here with me," she said, patting the huge room left for him. He rolled his eyes – but never one to turn down such an invitation, he joined her. "Please, Castle, please let me leave. If you don't I'll just escape."

"Do I need to call someone to handcuff you to the bed, or do you want me to do the honors?" he asked, half joking, half serious. She grumbled something unintelligible and grabbed the remote, turning the television on. "Seriously, Temptation Lane?" he whined.

When they got together, they started watching each other's shows. Kate started watching General Hospital, and he watched Temptation Lane. He'd never admit that while they were broken up, he still watched it.

"Kate?" he asked, she hummed. "Are we . . . are we back together?" he asked, confused. It was hard – thinking there is a possibility that you're not with the person you love, the person you almost lost, and especially if that person loves you back.

"I dunno, Castle, shouldn't there be some kind of mutual agreement between us?" she asked, "And I know we talked, but the look on your face says it all – you have more questions," she sighed, no longer paying attention to the actors dancing along the screen.

"Kate, I love you. I always have and I always will," he kissed her hair, "I know you love me, too, but if we can't make it through juggling a job and a marriage than how can we juggle anything life throws at us?" he asked.

"Rick, I'm so sorry. I do, I do love you, and I found something that made me do a lot of deep thinking," she paused, reaching onto the nightstand, pulling out a letter. "I reread this the day before Kat was born – and I was about to call you," she told him.

Rick scanned the letter, the handwriting not familiar. He could tell who it was though – only one person on the planet had ever called Kate 'kid'. At the end of the letter, it was a plead saying not to look back on life wondering, 'if only'.

He took another minute to reread it, and looked at Kate, taking a deep breath. "My question still stands, the choice is yours. I love you, Kate, and I already love our daughter. I want to be with you, but if you object, I won't stand in your way. I just want you to be happy."

"Of course I want to be with you, Rick," she grinned, "No if's or but's about it, although there is an and," she smiled at the outrageous look on his face, "And," she laughed, "I always will," she hummed, "You are my one and done, Castle."

He gave her a soft kiss, knowing that too much . . . activity can make her go under again. She didn't seem to care as she tried to climb over him and straddle him. He let out a soft chuckle as he had to hold her down, before it came apparent he had to leave her on the bed.

"Mm, Castle, if you're going to leave me, bring me our daughter," she grinned, stretching, "Oh! And a cup of coffee – please Castle!"

"You know you're not supossed to have caffine for four weeks," he said, narrowing his eyes.

She made a face as she choked out the next words, "Fine, then a decaf, please? I need coffee, Castle. I need coffee like a need air," she begged.

"Nice use of a simile," he grinned as she shot him her look. "I'm going to get a coffee. And some food. And our daughter – if she's done with her tests. Oh, and Kate?" he said, she gave him a confused look, "Don't even think about leaving, or I will personally handcuff you to the bed – and not in a kinky way."

**A/N2: I would've put this up earlier . . . but my brother actually . . . **_**watched **_**Castle with me. I know. You're all jealous.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Too tired for anything good. Sorry. I don't even know what I'm saying right now.**

**Yeah. That tired.**

**Disclaimer: If Castle were mine, HBO would be making room for Castle to fit in on a daily basis. Yes. HBO. Not ABC. **

Castle decided on taking two trips, the first trip, he brought Kat – who is now allowed to leave the hospital, by the way – and stole a kiss from Kate. The second trip he brought her some decaf coffee and a little bit of everything for a breakfast-themed dinner.

Bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, toast, and pancakes filled the tray on the desk in front of the couch, where Kate now rested, "Thank you, Castle," she said as he took the seat next to her. She extended Kat out to him, "Can you . . .?"

He grinned, taking his daughter in his arms. Kate was estatic at the sight, the man looked really good holding a baby. She ate in silence, the only sound in the room was Castle's murmured words, talking about New York, to Kat.

". . . and mommy will be coming with us, which daddy thinks is a really good thing, because mommy is super hot," he said, recieving a gentle smack on the arm for that. Kate rolled her eyes, but ended up enchanted by the face of her sleeping daughter.

"She's so small," Kate murmured, letting her head rest on the crook of Castle's neck. She had finished up breakfast, and was bored now. "Castle, please, just . . . save me. Get me out of here. Help me escape the hospital – they'll never let me out of here."

"You only have to wait, like, two weeks, Beckett. Calm down," he laughed softly. "I promise our girl will be safe with me – I am quite responsible," he assured her. She sighed, sitting up and put her head in her hands.

"That's not the only reason," she said, peeking at Kat, who was now stirring awake, "I can't stand it here. I'm not allowed to go outside for a jog, the food here is terrible, and I am so alone sometimes," she hissed.

"Beckett – go for a jog? Are you serious right now?" he asked, shaking his head, "Do you have a death wish, or something?" she rolled her eyes at him and and shook her head, sighing. She outstretched her arms.

"Can I hold her?" she asked, batting her eyelids.

Castle laughed, handing Kat, who was now looking around the room, fascinated, over to Beckett. "She's your daughter, you don't have to ask," he stuck his tongue out at her playfully. If looks could kill, Castle would be on the floor right now.

Kate started murmuring to Kat, and ended up singing _Twinkle, Twinkle. _Castle watched as there was a knock at the door, and before waiting for a reply, Alexis and Martha slipped in. "Hello children, grandchild," she greeted the trio.

"Hey dad, Kate, Kat," Alexis grinned, holding bags that probably contained more weight than she did. "We got some stuff, including clothes, stuffed animals, blankets, and baby formula," she listed, pulling out some outfits to show.

"That was really sweet of you guys," Kate smiled warmly. It was getting late and she was starting to feel drowsy. She wordlessly handed Kat back to Castle, fearing she might drop her in her hazy state. "I'm really tired – I think I'm going to sleep, if that's alright with you guys," she looked around for objections.

"That's okay – actually, Gram and I have a plane to catch – we're going back to New York," Alexis said, biting her lip out of guilt, "I have a huge test coming up and Gram's big performance is tomorrow – I can always just do makeup work if –"

Kate shook her head, cutting her off. "Don't worry, guys. We're adults – I think Castle can take care of me," she grinned, and they nodded. She slipped Castle a sly glance, "You can manage without them, right, _Kitten_?"

Castle bit back the harsh thing he was going to say for her saying that. Instead, he went with nickname revenge. "I think I'll be able to manage, _Kbex," _he shot back. She sent him a glare and they looked back to Martha and Alexis.

"Our plane is leaving soon, and we hate to go, but we have to catch our flight," Martha stated, walking over to them with Alexis tailing her. "See you soon, Richard, Katherine, Little Katherine," she gave her farewells, kissing each one of their forehead's.

Alexis hugged Kate tight, without hurting her, that is, and gave her a 'goodbye.' She hugged her dad, and kissed her sister before she and Martha were out the door, leaving the bags behind. "Now, about getting me out of here, I'm serious."

"Not a snowball chance in –" Kate clamped her hand over his mouth, glancing at Kat who looked relaxed. "Anyways," he said around her hand, which she moved back to herself, "I'll bring you food in the morning for good behavior," he winked.

"Good behavior?" she repeated.

"Yeah. No more trying to sneak out, Kate. For health's sake. The doctors are _sure _you'll need another week here, and an extra week might be needed at that," he rolled his eyes at her, "Get some sleep, I'll be here tomorrow," he murmured, kissing her forehead.

"Castle, be careful with Kat," Kate warned, instantly worried, "You guys are staying in a hotel, right? Is it a seedy hotel? Castle, do you need to hire a cop to stand at the door or something? I swear, if she gets hurt,"

"We'll be fine," Castle chimed in, kissing her forehead, "Let's go, Kat, before mommy decides to make you wear a helmet."

**A/N2: I read the reviews. Ugh. This story was better off as a one shot. This chapter sucks. Like. I was sleeping when I wrote it, it might not even make sense. Anyways, I will be answering questions in the next few chapters – sorry for the confusion.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm not one of those people who is looking for compliments. Honest to God, I was blushing so much reading the stuff below. Just answering some questions here and in the story. Okay, so someone asked about the condition of Elder Katherine, and I originally had it where she wasn't working her father's case, but it was this thing my social studies teacher's wife had, but I couldn't find the name of it anywhere. So, I just made it the guy pushed her. Throughout the next few chapters, I'll elaborate on Jim's death – which, killing Jim was the hardest thing I've done. Jim is my third favorite minor character to Karpowski – who gave us a Caskett Christmas, and Maddie, who gave us the image of "Little Castle Babies". **

**Anyways, your reviews are appreciated. I know I have a ton of typos and misspells, but no one has commented on that, which is very refreshing.**

**Disclaimer: If someone actually thought I owned Castle, I'd give you a piece of paper that has the phone number to your local mental hospital. I don't own Castle.**

Castle wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but it involved a lot of staring. He was sitting down on the bed in his hotel, staring at his beautiful, sleeping daughter in his arms. He started feeling sleep washing over him, so he arranged the pillows in a comfortable, safe temporary place to put Kat while he built the crib.

He had a hard time following the directions right. Castle isn't stupid – he, of course, knows how to read. Follow directions, kind of. But these instructions are down right confusing. He sighs in frustration, and runs a hand through his hair.

Fresh air. He decides he'd like to step outside, so he wraps Kat up in a bundle, and gently places her in the carryable-carseat thing and steps outside. He is in the elevator headed down, when she starts to rouse awake.

Rousing awake often leads to only one thing in infants – crying. He braced himself, but no crying came, and he took Kat outside. This, of course, is when she starts crying, and Castle decides it's best to go inside and cradle her.

He takes her out of the carseat in the elevator, and starts rocking her in his arms. He's almost alone, except for one man, who also has an infant with him, on an Ergo on his chest. "Is he your first?" Castle asks.

"No, I actually have two wonderful twins at home, they're growing up on me, though," he sighed, "What about you? I'm John by the way," he says with a smile, evident he'd shake his hand if they weren't both with-child.

"Nah, I have a daughter who's eighteen – very close to nineteen, actually. But it's been so long! I can't even put her da –" he stops himself from swearing, "Her crib together. I am driving myself crazy with the instructions. Oh, and I'm Rick."

"Castle, I know," he chuckled softly, "My wife is a huge fan of yours," he said as Castle looked at him, curious. "I've read your books. This Nikki's daughter? Er, KB?" he asked, then realized it was kind of personal. "Or, I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind. I'm a writer, I talk and ask too many personal questions. Yes, this is Kate's daughter, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I mean, I wasn't there for her pregnancy, but, that's a long story," it really struck Rick – he missed out on nine months of Kat's life, on Kate's purpose.

"Oh," he said, trying to change the subject, "Why don't I come take a look at that crib, and see if I could do anything?" he asks. Rick agreed and he ended up getting a little stuck, but made the crib without a bolt missing.

"Thank-you so much," Rick grinned. "Here, give this to your wife," he said, signing a paper – along with a short note to his wife, whom he learned was also named Kate. "I'll see you around, maybe," Rick shrugged.

"See ya," John said, before walking off. Castle shut the door, and Kat began to cry again. He lifted her from the carseat, and cradled her.

"Sh, honey, I'm here," he murmured. "Mommy is in the hospital, but we're going to see her tomorrow, okay?" he assured his daughter, and she actually started calming down. Before long, she was out like a light.

He put her in her crib, and started to drift off. Sleep was about to take him over when the crying started again. "Kat, come here," he said, reaching into the crib, grabbing his baby. He remembered this with Alexis. "I'm not going to get any sleep, am I?"

As if in response, she started crying again, and he started rocking her. "Alright, you listen to me Katherine Beckett-Castle, I love you, and I love sleep, too. Do you think you can let daddy have, maybe, an hour of sleep?"

Kat started drifting off in his arms, and he sighed. She was so cute. He cuddled, gently, with her at the top of the bed, and she was curled up on his chest. He managed to – surprisingly – get about four hours, when he woke up to crying again.

He sat up, taking her in his arms. "Kat, you sure do drive a hard bargin. How about some food?" he asked, getting up to make a bottle. Castle prepared one, and sat down, letting her drink or eat or whatever while he watched TV.

When Toy Story came on, it was already visiting hours at the hospital. Castle felt his eyes drooping, and knowing it wasn't safe to drive, he called a cab. He hooked up Kat's carseat and took the seat next to her, gave the driver the address, and passed out.

"Excuse me, sir," the young driver said, poking Castle's knee. Castle was shocked for a minute, forgetting where he was, and he saw the hospital. Castle's mouth made the shape of an 'o' and he paid the driver some cash before taking Kat to see Kate.

Kat. Kate. Katie-Kat. It's like kitty cat, but more adorable. When he reached Kate's room, he found her breaking the rules again, this time, hiding a cell phone in areas that most people would never look. "Kate! You can't have a cell phone!" he scolded.

"I was just about to call you!" she insisted, "I was terrified, Rick, what – you look like you didn't sleep at all. Oh my, give me Kat, go sleep on the couch," she rolled her eyes, and Castle didn't protest. He hadn't been more sleepy in his entire life.

"You look beautiful," he murmured, kissing her hair. He was going to talk to her, but he'd save that for another time – most likely when they're _home _in New York.

**A/N: Honestly. Sorry. I've been hiding from writing, this just seems bad to me. I'm tired. Very. I need sleep. Oh, and I tied my dad into this chapter a lot. My dad used to tell me stories of how when I was merely an infant, I'd sleep on his chest.**

**And, my dad's name was John. **

**So... ... Reviews are always welcome, not mandatory. (Hehe. I said the a-word.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: She updated? What the actual fu – HEY. THERE'S CHILDREN PRESENT. Anyways, I know I haven't updated. I was in a writing mood one week, and then I just kind of stayed dead for another week, reading. Reading some more. If you know of any good (and prefferably complete) books, PM them to me. I also went to Vegas and saw ONE FRACKING DIRECTION and got to meet that long-lost half-brother I was talking about.**

**He gives the best hugs. The best. Be jealous.**

**Disclaimer: Who lives in a pineapple under the sea . . . it might as well be me. (I rhymed, haha). Because I own none of Castle, and neither does Spongebob Squarepants. (Don't own it.)**

Today finally was the day that Beckett was getting out of the hospital. Castle kept trying to convince the doctor's that she should stay longer, but they insisted that she'd be fine – "_Haven't you fallen down the stairs before?" _

Castle had groaned, of course he had. You'd get right back up after a minute or two of complaining. Of course, Beckett was pregnant, and she had been pushed, but the affects were just the same, aside from the fact of the staircase being metal.

"Hey," he said as he walked back into her room, he was busy signing papers the doctor's handed to him, and he decided to leaving her alone with Kat. "How's she doing?" he asked with a hint of a smile, taking a seat by his girls.

"Hey," she grinned back, accepting a small kiss from him. She was finally up and standing, and in her own clothes. It felt good to feel human again. "She's doing great, just fed her. She's probably a bit sleepy right now, though."

"Okay," he said, looking at them like they were pieces of China. If you even touch them, they'll break. She knew how he felt, so after putting Kat in her portable carseat, she pulled Rick into a bone-crushing hug.

"Hug me," she murmured into his neck. He sighed, and allowed his arms to gently wrap around her waist. "Rick, I'm not going to break," she insisted, "I'm all better, I just fell down one flight of stairs," she muttered.

He finally delt with it, squeezing her tightly around the waist. "I'm glad you're coming home," he whispered.

"It's good to be home," she whispered back, "With you, Alexis, Martha, Ryan, Espo, and Lanie," she insisted, "To he – heck – with DC, I hate it here, Rick, I'm ready to go back to New York," she smiled softly, "I'm sorry we broke up, and I'm extremely sorry I didn't tell you about Kat."

"We're going to have to talk about it – all of it, you know?" he pressed. She nodded, and gave him another kiss before pulling away.

"I know, but right now, let's get this one home, shall we?" she asked, gently tickling Kat. She had gotten bigger since she was born, not by a lot, but still bigger. She wrinkled her nose and then gave a small smile, a tug of her lips.

"She's so adorable," Castle said with a small grin, standing directly behind Beckett, reaching out to touch Kat's face. "Just like you," he said, kissing her cheek loudly before turning around. "I'm done with DC, let's get out of here."

"Like, now," she said, picking up Kat's carrier and grabbing Rick's hand. Thankfully they had cleared everything with the doctor's, so after she got into the car they were good to go home. They decided to drive back, not bothering with a plane.

"You look tired," Rick mused, glancing at Kate through the rear-view mirror. She was resting her head on Kat's carseat, and her eyelids drooped heavily, she was barely able to comprehend him. "'You wanna sleep?" he asked, she nodded. "You hungry?"

She shook her head, "No, thank you, please just wake me up when we get back to New York," she muttered before sleep quickly overcame her. Castle drove for a few hours before riding into a familiar parking lot. If she wasn't hungry then, she might be now.

He reached to the backseat and shook her gently, "Kate," he murmured. Her face scrunched up, but then relaxed as she went back to her sleep. "Kate, wake up, we're in New York," he murmured. Her eyes blinked open and a grin split her face in two.

"This isn't home," she chuckled softly, "Why are we at Remy's?" she asked, already figuring out the answer.

"I'm hungry, and you should probably eat something, too," he said in the same low, comforting voice he had used when he woke her up. She yawned, stretching like a cat, and nodded, already getting out of the car to stretch some more.

A quiet cry broke out as Kat woke up, tears rolling down her face, and Castle quickly swung from his seat, to outside, to the backseat to pick her up. "Good morning, sunshine!" he cooed, lifting her high into the air. She let out a small giggle at that.

"Hi, honey," Kate said, approaching the duo, and running her hand through the small taft of hair on Kat's head. "Good morning!" she grinned, kissing her forehead, "Let's go get some yummy food, yeah?" she grinned, taking Castle's free hand, walking into _their _diner.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett, where the hell have you been this past year?" the head manager of Remy's shouted as soon as she spotted Kate, all the way across the diner. "Oh, excuse my language," she said as she got closer. "Who's this little one?" she smiled as she got close.

"Maranda, this is our daughter, Kat," Castle greeted her, "Lovely to see you, again."

"Lovely to see you, as well," she smiled. "Richard, why didn't you tell me Katie was pregnant?" she asked, putting her fists on her hips in a sassy manor. Castle and Beckett shared a look, and she decided to speak up.

"I didn't tell him, it's a long story that Rick deserves to hear first, anyways," she said, shaking her head, trying rather to shake off the topic. "Anyways, I'm sorry – I've been in DC, it's great to see you," she said, taking in Maranda for a half-hug.

"Mkay, guys. Good to see the both of you," she smiled, "And it was wonderful meeting you, little one," she cooed, completely enchanted by the little girl in front of her. "I am going to go now, want your regulars?" she asked.

"Sounds perfect, Maranda, thank you," Castle hummed. They took a booth by the window and sat across from each other, Kat's seat by Castle, but sitting in Kate's lap. "Beautiful," he smiled, the one that reaches his eyes.

Kate blushed and kissed the top of Kat's head, lips upturned in a small smile. The silence was comfortable, and their food arrived.

**A/N: I really shouldn't write when I'm out of a writing stream. This was forced, I wont even lie, and I understand it's bad. Expect more frequent, better updates.**


	10. SO SO SORRY

**Okay, I know I promised more frequent updates and . . . hate me if you choose, I've decided to discontinue this story. It literally has NO plot, NO storyline, nothing. I AM writing a one shot and maybe another Castle fanfic that WILL have a plot.**

**This was designed as a one shot and if you'd like any questions answered feel free to PM me! Again, sorry! I'm posting the one-shot really soon. c: **


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